The Story of Moon
by Rayning Fyre
Summary: So, I've been into wolf Role Play for a year, and I decided to make a story on FanFiction!   Here's my first story about Moon the wolf and her tragic story of her mate and pups. The map is based off the WolfQuest Slough Creek map. rated Kplus for violence
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**So, this is my first ever story! (Pause for applause) I've been into wolf Role Play for about a year, so this is the story of one of my pups(Role play point of view .3.), Moon, and her romantic story! (Pause for 'awws')**  
><strong>Tell me what you think! Review!<strong>

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><p>Moon trotted warily through the dark, misty woods. Raindrops from the previous night dripped down on her from the tall, towering pines. She shivered, her hackles rising.<p>

Suddenly, she smelled another wolf scent. She stopped, her hackles rising even more. She lifted her nose into the air, scenting all around her.

A strong scent of wolf hit her nose, causing her to sneeze. Moon growled threateningly, swiveling her ears around to pinpoint when the wolf could be. The birds had stopped chirping, as if they, too, could sense danger.

Suddenly, a wolf emerged in front of her, pushing through the bushes. She whipped her head around, staring at the wolf with her ears pushed back and her mouth drawn back in a snarl. The wolf sat down, blinking with amusement. Moon growled, unsure of the wolf.

The male wolf spoke. "So, you're not exactly comfortable in the Douglas Fir Slopes forest, I see." He commented, not a sign of aggression even hinted in his voice. Moon cautiously ceased her threatening stance, pushing her ears forward in confusion. "Uh…who are you?" She stammered.

The male laughed. "I'm Turmoe, and I'm a loner, as you can see." He woofed. Moon sat down, her hackles falling slightly. "Who are you?" Turmoe asked.

Moon hesitated, not sure what this wolf was getting at. "I…I'm…Moon?" She answered hesitantly. Turmoe stood, stretching. "Well, nice to meet ya, Moon." He walked towards Moon, walking past her and into the dark forest behind her.

Moon stared after him, wondering what just happened. She turned and trotted quickly after him. "Wait!" She called, stopping next to him. Turmoe stopped, looking at her with patient eyes. "Yes?" He barked calmly. Moon sighed before replying. "Can I travel with you?" Turmoe smiled a friendly smile and nodded.

They set off, Moon trusting him completely now.

•••

Moon spotted the silhouetted shape of Turmoe against the setting sun. She walked calmly from the den they've shared for moons towards him, sitting down on the stone next to him.

Turmoe stared straight ahead, blinking at the sun as it settled behind the mountains in the distant terrains. Moon could feel him stiffen as she sat closely next to him, her heart beating quickly against her chest. She sighed, following his gaze into the hypnotizing rays. Finally, she spoke.

"I'm sorry…about your sister…" She began, unsure of how to contemplate what happened to Turmoe's sister, murdered brutally by another wolf. Moon and Turmoe had come upon her cold body, lying lifelessly on the cold stone of the Little Butte.

Turmoe sighed. "It's alright; I guess…we were never really close. But the thought of my shared blood being killed ruthlessly…it hurt." Moon nodded in understanding and rested her head on his broad shoulder. His stiffness eased, and she felt his body tremble with the relief of the tension evaporating from his posture.

Moon felt his head resting on hers. Her heart boomed against her chest, as if the next words she spoke would break it from the prison it was held in. She summoned the courage to speak, knowing this would change her life as she knew it. "Turmoe," She began. "…I love you." She whispered. Turmoe licked her ear and murmured, "I love you too, Moon."

Moon sighed with content, relieved at last of the feelings she felt inside. She wiggled closer to him, breathing in his warm scent.

•••

Moon walked beside Turmoe, scenting the breeze for her father. She and Turmoe were traveling through the wet marsh in hopes of finding Rain and his pack. As soon as Moon had found out about bearing Turmoe's pups, she immediately seized the opportunity of finding a pack where her pups could be born into.

She caught the faintest scent of Silver Rain Pack. There was also another pack on the breeze as well. But before she could say anything to her mate, 3 huge boars emerged from the reeds behind the two. Moon and Turmoe whipped around to face the boars. Turmoe immediately stood in front of Moon protectively, and she felt fear creeping up her spine.

Turmoe leaped at the closest boar. He clawed at its face, blinding it easily. The other boar charged at him, but he dodged it and leaped at the other boar, leaving the blinded boar to run back into the reeds, squealing. Turmoe sought out the places where he could quickly and easily kill the boar, but the other boar charged at him again, causing him to be thrown into the air. He fell to the ground with a thump.

Moon charged angrily at the boar, clawing its face mercilessly. Once she sent the boar after the first, she leaped onto the third boar's back, driving her claws deep into it as it charged around the clearing. She managed to give it a terrible bite to the back of its neck and killed it swiftly with a bite to the throat.

When the boar fell to the ground, Moon rushed over to Turmoe. He was unconscious, but alive. She gently nudged her muzzle under his body, pushing him onto her back. She scented the air again for her father, and headed in the direction of the still faint scent.

Moon traveled until moon fall, yet she knew the force of the fall had weakened Turmoe so much that he wouldn't have made it without immediate care, and it was quite obvious to her that the pack was too far away to make the walk.

Moon came to a clearing and set Turmoe down. His cooling body forced terror through Moon, and she felt scared and alone. She howled sadly to the rising moon. The howl rang through the marshes, and all the small creatures heard the sad call. Moon's sad howl rang sadness through all creatures, and they felt a moment of grief for the wolf's loss, in spite of their fear of the wolf.

Moon sighed and curled around Turmoe's body, her heart breaking. She cast a sad, scared glance at her belly, which, she knew, held his pups. She shivered with sadness, oily tears spilling onto her cheeks. She laid her head on his shoulders, hoping sleep would take her away from the sadness she was engulfed in.

Turmoe was gone to her forever, she knew; Moon vowed to his spirit that no one could ever replace him. She was reminded of the first day she had met him, and even then she was charmed by his calming presence. Sleep slowly took her into a light, haunted trance.

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><p><strong>Continue? No?<strong>  
><strong>Terrible? No?<strong>  
><strong>'Jeez Rain why do you even bother'? No?<strong>  
><strong>R&amp;R!(:<strong>

**~Rain**


	2. Chapter 2: Raven

**Woo! I finally got off my lazy butt and wrote it! :D **

**Before anything, I want to say that some things in the story has to do with Warriors, so:**

**©Erin Hunter owns Warriors. I own story, character, territory, pack, anddd ONE DIRECTION! (not really (x )©**

**Oh, that copyright symbol? Alt + G :3. And to XxSoulessBeautyxX: **

**Thanks for the review! I liked your story; I needed some references to see how bad my story is ;)**

**Yay! Chapter one! Still working on the story though; my friend, Xena, is Role Playing with me, so we're working on other Role Playing stories! :D I'll try to put some into stories here.**

**R&R!**

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><p>Moon woke with a sigh, feeling her nephews jumping on her tail. She brought her silver tail close to her body and rolled onto her back, blinking.<p>

Raven, a jet-black male wolf, trotted in with, ironically, a raven clamped in his jaws. Moon was confused. Raven didn't have a mate, and wasn't a very romantically social wolf. Moon sat up, licking down a tuft of fur on her thigh.

Raven dropped the Raven by Moon and smiles. Moon looked at him blankly, them nodded slightly. She carefully bit into the juicy, delicious meat, while Raven turned and trotted back to the warrior den. Moon watched him, confusion lighting her gaze, before focusing again on her meal.

After she finished and licked her lips, Moon laid back down on her nest. Her brothers' mates, Emerald and Cherry, had pups that were just beginning their play-fight adventures. Moon watched Cherry's pups, Thistle and Bracken, as they tumbled playfully around Emerald's three pups, Storm, Red, and Mist, who were learning about the den. Moon began to wonder what her pups would be like.

Mist was practicing a hunting crouch that Fire, one of Moon's youngest siblings, had taught her. Red and Storm attempted to copy, but Red pounced on Storm, and they tumbled into Thistle and Bracken. The four began to tumble about, attempting victory against the other three. Mist just watched in amusement. Moon felt a certain liking for the young pup.

Tanil, Rain's mate and Moon's mother as well as her siblings, was supposed to leave the den once Fire, Snow, and Eclipse received mentors and moved to the apprentice den for the two month period of training.

Moon suddenly remembered that their naming ceremony would be today. She spotted Rain trotting out of the cave under High Ledge. She watched is silence as he hopped onto High Ledge and called a meeting.

"Let all wolves old enough to hunt join under High Ledge for a pack meeting!" With those words, Moon stood, stretched, and walked through the semi-oval entrance to the warrior den. Everyone had gathered, but Moon stayed with the other nursery queens by the entrance.

"Fire, Snow, Eclipse. Come forward." Rain called to his pups with a deep voice. The three one-year-old wolves came forward and sat in a line below High Ledge.

"Fire," Rain called. The ginger tom stepped forward and sat down. "Fire, do you promise to protect and defend your pack members and territory over your own life?" Fire nodded. "Then I name you as our very first apprentice." Moon remembered that this ceremony was established into pack life only a moon ago.

"Cinder." Rain called to the pack deputy. Cinder departed from the group and sat down in front of High Ledge. "I have put my entire trust into you with naming you as my deputy, and I trust you to pass on your judgment and your skills to Fire." Cinder dipped her head with respect.

Fire touched noses with Cinder, and they joined the crowd to watch Snow and Eclipse's ceremony.

Rain did the same with Eclipse and Snow. Lion, Moon's older brother, was assigned mentor to Snow and Feather to Eclipse.

The meeting broke, and Moon walked back to the nursery with the nursery queens. She barely got across the Entrance Den, where elk and fresh kill was piled and where the only entrance to the den was located, when Raven came up behind her.

"I wondered if you wanted to go hunting in Tall Grasses?" He said, sitting down to pick up a rabbit from the fresh-kill pile. Moon sighed, then agreed.

Raven finished his food within a few bites. The pair set off towards the field. Moon realized that she didn't remember this place before. The ground was covered with large strands of light brown grass, as tall as Raven and Moon combined.

Raven slithered in, followed by Moon. They trotted through the grasses, sniffing along the ground for any prey. Moon scented a rabbit heartbeats before it dashed in front of her nose.

Moon chased after the rabbit with strength bursting with each paw step. Moon maneuvered after the scent, dodging large rocks and eventually jumping over snakes. Raven pounded after her, not quite able to catch up.

The rabbit turned sharply, and Moon pounced on it's small body, killing it quickly with a bite to the neck. She lifted her head and realized the rabbit led her to a clearing.

A sour scent hit her nose. Raven arrived, panting, at her side. He had obviously scented it too, for he lifted his nose in alarm.

The grasses parted in front of them, and 7 stocky boars emerged, staring hungrily at the pair.

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><p><strong>Cliffhanger! :O <strong>

**Will Raven protect Moon?**  
><strong>Will Moon lose her pups (oh ya, she's preggers X) )?<strong>  
><strong>Will I get better at this stuff?<strong>

**Find out in the next chapter!**

**R&R!**  
><strong>~Rain<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: Boars

Raven automatically stood in front of Moon in a protective stance. Moon shivered and shrank back, fear tingling along her spine.

The boar closest to them took a step forward and snorted, his nostrils flaring. The other boars held their hungry stare, not moving an inch.

Suddenly, the lead boar charged at Raven. Moon tensed and stood, feeling the adrenaline soaring into her muscles once more. Raven dodged the boar, followed by Moon. The boar skidded past them and gave Raven enough time to attack. He launched on top of the boar, and tore at it's face. It screamed and ran into the grasses.

Moon turned to the other boars and attacked the nearest one, sinking her claws into it's face. That was their best strategy, she knew. The boar was running in no time.

Raven had taken care of another boar and was struggling with one. He clung onto it's front horns for dear life. Moon launched forward and raked her claws into it's face, blinding it. It screamed and followed the other boars.

There were three boars remaining. Raven and Moon launched themselves at two boars, feeling over confident.

Moon felt herself beginning to fail, and began to scrambled to cling to the boar's face. It flung her into the air, caught her with it's tusks, and flung her onto the ground again a little farther away.

Moon lay on the ground, the wind knocked from her lungs. She struggled to stand, but she knew it was no use as the other boar charged her.

It took her by the tusks and flung her even higher than the other boar did. Moon was paralyzed with fear, but she saw Raven sending off the other boar. She prayed Raven could save her as she hit the ground. It was the last thing she thought about before everything went black.

****

Moon felt herself being doused with a tongue, soothing and soft. It stroked between her shoulder blades, and she found herself enjoying it.

Moon attempted to open her eyes, but the blackness pulled them together again. She slipped into the blank trance once more.

**0o0o0o0o0o**

Moon woke again. Sunlight glared in her vision. She only saw a bright, blurry white with faint shapes moving slowly around. She blinked, weariness fading to pain.

Her vision beginning to clear, she stretched her achy muscles, wincing as pain shot through her. She made a small, whimper-like sound, and felt the heat of a wolf hurrying over.

Moon could make out the scent of Raven, and basked in the warmth of his body as he curled around her. Violet padded over and fed Moon a herb, which she gladly ate. She felt the effects of the herbs taking its toll quickly, and all pain and conscious faded from her once more.

**0o0o0o0o0o **

Moon blinked open her eyes, feeling the warmth of Raven gone. The pain was faint yet noticeable, and the weariness had almost completely ridden itself from her.

Lifting her head, she opened her eyes once more. A painful glare hit her eyes, causing her to close them again.

She lifted her head and tried desperately to scent out Raven, letting out a whimper. Violet went over to her and soothed her with a lick. She talked, but Moon didn't hear any distinct words. She sighed with sadness and laid there, blinking open her eyes every now and again in hopes of sight.

When sunlight streamed into Moon's vision, she knew it was sun-high. Her vision was clearing, and she scented Raven. Letting out a whimper, Moon lifted herself from her nest and tried to look for him, failing miserably.

Hearing Moon, Raven dropped the prey he was carrying and came over to her. He rested his head on hers, and stood there for a few moments. Moon sighed with content, letting herself drift in his comfort.

Moon blinked open her eyes and could see a bit more clearly. She looked up at him and blinked away the last of the fuzziness from her vision. Raven had a scar above his eyes, but it was barely noticeable. She could see he was in much better condition than she was.

"What..." she murmured, struggling to find her voice. "What...why...how..." Moon struggled to find the right question. Raven sighed in understanding, and nosed her back into her nest. He laid down in front of her and told her the story as she rested.

"We were hunting in Tall Grasses. You were chasing after a rabbit and, when you killed it, there were a lot of boars in the clearing. We fought off the better half before two boars were throwing you up in the air and almost killed you. You were asleep for five sunrises." Moon began to tremble and looked at her swollen belly with worry.

Raven noticed her nervous glance and sighed good-naturedly. "They're fine; Violet said they were, amazingly, unharmed." Moon let out a relieved whimper. She would cherish these pups, since they were the only thing left of Turmoe that she had.

Raven murmured with sympathy and stretched. "You're healing. There was a gash between your shoulder blades and a deep cut in your shoulder, but you're fine otherwise." Moon nodded and felt tired. Raven got up and curled around her, resting his head on her sore shoulder.

Moon fell into a peacefully restful sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Pups

Okay, so now I finally got to writing this chapter! :D

The pups are finally going to be born (ohmygawdfinally) so yay!

Enjoy!

(Copyright: I don't own Warriors)

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><p>Moon woke up again, feeling a bit better. Stretching until her legs shook with the effort, Moon went over to the fresh kill pile. Snow and Jinto were already there, talking in low voices. Moon sighed and picked a rabbit randomly from the pile.<p>

Before she could take a bite, a pup from the nursery jumped on her tail and bit it with her sharp little teeth. Moon winced and flicked her tail. The pup ran off to Cherry's litter. With a sigh, Moon bent her head again and took a large bite of the rabbit, chewing politely and quietly. Moon flicked her ears back towards Jinto and Snow's conversation. Snow sounded excited, but Jinto sounded neutral.

Moon finished off the rabbit and trotted back into the nursery. Before she could take a third step inside, she felt a terrible pain erupt in her stomach. She gasped for breath, falling to the dirt floor. Cherry and Emerald rushed over, but Sand, who had recently found out that she was going to be giving birth to Leo's litter of pups, held the pups back.

Moon's breathing came in panicked gasps. Cherry barked at Snow to get Rain. Jinto stared at the wolves, not moving.

Meanwhile, with the pack alerted, Cinder grabbed moss and made a nest around Moon. Violet and Blue came rushing to the nursery. When Violet announced that Moon was giving birth, the whole nursery was silent except for Moon's heavy breathing.

Raven came rushing over, followed by Rain. There was a huge crowd of wolves around the nursery. Rain barked loudly, "Every wolf that has nothing to do with this or is not needed, leave!" The crowd moved back to the warrior's den, breaking apart into their nests. Raven stayed, along with Cinder, Blue, Violet, and Rain.

Suddenly, more pain caused Moon to whimper. Violet soothed her, while Blue felt her stomach. He nodded. "The first one's on its way." Violet flicked her tail in silent acknowledgment and ordered Moon, "Hang in there and push." Obeying, Moon managed to birth the first pup. Cherry immediately took the pup and licked its fur backwards to warm it. Then she nudged it towards Moon's belly, where it suckled.

Another pup fell into the nest a few minutes later. The pup, a female, joined her brother at Moon's belly, while the two medicine wolves and the leader waited for the third pup to arrive. Raven was sitting by Moon's head, more worried about her than the pups. Moon, who was still concious yet exhausted, was a little suspicious of how well Raven would treat the pups.

Finally, upon the arrival of the third pup, a female, Moon relaxed. Violet ordered Blue to get two poppy seeds while Raven sniffed the three pups. Moon lifted her head and looked at her pups, feeling happy that a piece of Turmoe had introduced itself back into her life. The biggest of the females looked the most like her father: an oak-colored wolf with a faint black mark on her back.

The male, on the other hand, was light-gray with dark brown flecks on his paws. Moon found him remarkably beautiful, and he seemed to be the same size as his sister. The other female was all brown with white paws, and she seemed to be the smallest. Moon blinked at them as Blue came back into the nursery with two seeds on his paw. He offered the seeds to Moon. She licked them up and laid her head back down onto the nest.

Raven lied down on her other side. With a sigh, Moon laid her head close to his chest as she fell into a deep sleep.

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><p><strong>Okay, now I need pup names! :D <strong>

**Submit them in the reviews, and I'll decide which ones i like the best.**

**I have one already for the biggest female (Onei :3) so give me some names for the other two pups.**

**Review or Turmoe's spirit will kill you! :)**

**Just kidding ;) **

**~Rain**


	5. Chapter 5: Stolen

**Omg I doubt I've ever been so productive with these stories! :D **

**Enjoy! This puts a really insane twist on the story. **

**(c) I don't own Warriors (c)**

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><p>Moon woke up, tired and drowsy. Three tiny pups fought each other at her belly. She looked at them, gazing the longest at the female that looked like Turmoe.<p>

Just then, Raven trotted in with a rabbit clamped in his jaws. he dropped it by her and said, "Have you named them yet?" Moon sighed and shook her head as she plunged her teeth deep into the warm, meaty body of the rabbit.

Raven looked at them for a moment before saying, "I think the brown female should be Adoette, the gray one should be Hunin, and the other female should be Onei." Moon looked at him in surprise. Raven shrugged. "I learned Native American from my mother."

Moon blinked, then sighed. "I've always wondered about that human language." Raven laughed. "It's a family tradition. Wind didn't have much luck learning from our mother, though; when he was born, he was too busy trying to help feed the pack. We were going through a famine; our leader died from it." Moon nodded, looking back down at the pups.

Raven sighed and stood, yawning. "I'm going the morning hunting patrol. See you later." Moon flashed a friendly at him before laying her head back down in her nest. She fell asleep easily.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Moon woke up again at sun high. She blinked, wondering how she slept so late. She felt even more tired than before. Propping herself on her front leg, she checked on her pups.

A chill rocked her as she realized that Onei was gone. There was only two pups at her stomach. Moon yelped in surprise, causing Cherry to yank her head up and stare at her. When she realized there was only two pups at Moon's stomach, she jumped up and ran to Rain's den. Second later, Rain came dashing in and barked at Cinder, who was at the fresh kill pile.

Cinder came racing over and cast a questioning glance at Rain. Rain looked at Moon, and it was obvious to her that he wanted an explanation, but Moon felt so lightheaded that she couldn't really say anything.

But she still had to say something. "I-I woke up at dawn and talked to Raven before he went on the morning hunting patrol. That's where I last saw Onei. Then, I woke up again at sun high and she was gone." Now that she felt fully awake, she was sure that somebody had doused her with a poppy seed and stolen her pup.

Rain nodded and turned to Cherry. "Look after Hunin and Adoette." She nodded and carefully picked Hunin up by his scruff, dropped him into her nest, and did the same with Adoette.

Moon followed Rain with her head hanging lowly and her feet feeling heavier than stone. _Who could have done this?_ she wondered to herself. No one hated her, and it was obvious that she wasn't here long enough for anyone to hold a grudge.

Suddenly, Raven came trotting up to here. What if Raven did it? Onei _did_ look the most like Turmoe, and rumor had been going around that Raven had a crush on Moon. She suddenly felt angry, and kept her head bent as Raven asked, "What's wrong?"

Rain jumped up onto Highledge and howled to call a meeting. The wolves gathered below and Rain began speaking before everyone had officially arrived. "Moon's pup has gone missing!" He proclaimed. Multiple wolves murmured and another wolf growled at Leo, since he was one of the newest members and wasn't the friendliest wolf in the pack.

Rain continued. "Moon, step up and tell what happened." Moon hesitated before approaching Rain. She followed the rocky path up to where Rain stood. She sat down and, although shaky and scared, curled her tail around her paws and began in the strongest voice she could.

"I woke up at dawn with all three pups there. Raven"-she spoke his name with indifference to show she wasn't interested-"was there, too. Then, he went on the hunting patrol, and I fell asleep." She paused to gather up her thoughts before continuing. "When I woke up at sun high, Onei, my oldest female pup, was gone." The rest of the wolves began staring up at Moon, bewilderment and shock glittering in their eyes.

Moon took the moments pause to scan her gaze over the crowd of wolves. Leo was watching her with scorn, as usual, since he was remarkably rude to Moon. Raven was looking away, giving Moon the impression that he felt guilty about something.

Anger and betrayal surged through her again, but she just took a step back and traded places with Rain.

He continued. "The punishment for the wolf guilty is exile. Meanwhile, I will be sending out a patrol to find out who had committed the crime, consisting of Cinder, Tiger, Dove, Wind, and Leo." Still, no one spoke.

Rain jumped off of Highledge in two bounds, followed by Moon, who was walking slowly. She continued to the nursery. Raven had walked up to her. "I'm sorry about Onei Moo-" but before he could finish his sentence Moon turned on him, anger pouring out in her words. "Don't even bother, you disgusting mutt!" She spat the last word, one word that was rarely used by wolves.

Raven stared at her, surprise and shock in his eyes. then his gaze hardened and he growled at her. "Whatever got under your fur, kee-" Again, he couldn't finish; Moon could finish his sentence for him. "I'm sorry if I lost my pup!" She snarled. "Get out of my sight." She turned and stormed away, anger making her shaky.

She flopped down into her nest and growled to herself, but the sudden thought of losing Onei came down on her shoulders completely. Short, heavy sobs shook her shoulders, and, out of all the wolves in the world, the only wolf she could think of helping her the most was Turmoe.

Dread came as shock, and she suddenly stopped. Silent pain came in peace, and she fell into an unnatural sleep.

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><p><strong>Yay, almost cliffies! :D<strong>

**Well, I hope you likey ^3^**

**Review! That beautiful button right down there is your bff :3**

**~Rain**


	6. Chapter 6: Plans

Moon woke up in a daze. She was cold, and everything around her was a blur. She just sighed and laid her head onto her nest until the blur cleared.

This morning, there was no food brought to her. _Good riddance,_ she thought to herself bitterly. She truly believed that Raven was guilty of the kidnap. Moon blinked and looked down at Hunin and Adoette, her two remaining pups. Hunin was still sleeping, his small snores almost as soft as the pawsteps that sounded by the entrance to the nursery.

Raven was looking into the small, comfy den, blinking at the two pups that snuggled into Moon's belly. He blinked before turning around and taking a rabbit back to his nest.

Moon sighed as hunger made its presence clear in her stomach. It disturbed Hunin and Adoette's sleep. They both woke with a squeak and, practically tripping over themselves in eagerness, scrambled towards her open belly.

Thankfully, Sand had walked in with breakfast for all of the queens. She went around and dropped a large, plump shrew, freshly caught by the morning hunting patrol. Moon blinked at it, then took an unenthusiastic bite out of the brown body. She quickly devoured it when she realized how hungry she actually was.

Moon sighed and laid her head on her paws, feeling low-spirited. She missed Onei the most as she had cherished the pup because of how she looked like a twin of Turmoe.

Suddenly, Raven walked in and came up to her. "I'm leading a patrol to find the pup." He said quietly. Moon, fueled by anger from his betrayal and how she said 'the pup', snapped her teeth at him harshly and bared them in his face before he just narrowed his eyes at her and turned away.

Moon glared after him, ignoring the surprised gazes from the other queens. Raven was surrounded by a patrols-worth of wolves at the entrance. He began calling out names, and, to Moon, seemed to be the majority of the best scenters.

_Who does he think he's fooling? Well, apparently the entire pack. No better than a rogue. _She thought angrily to herself.

She turned her mind away from the disgrace with the name of Raven and tried to think of happy times with Turmoe, but she just wasn't inspired. Everything seemed to be crashing to the ground around her, and now that her closest friend had betrayed her, she had no one but herself once more. She made a promise to the pups, to herself, to Turmoe, that she would protect the pups to her last fighting breath and even further in time, and yet she just sat here in her own misery while Onei probably was sitting there helplessly, crying out for the food that would never come and surrounded by the cold darkness of on-coming leaf fall.

Moon's thoughts were making her feel as if everything was being controlled by Forest of Shadows (A/N: think of it like the Dark Forest). She shook herself, but ever so gently as not to disturb her pups, then rewarded herself with a good, well needed stretch. Moon began to feel better as the thoughts of Onei, the poor helpless newborn sitting innocently, waiting for food, began to clear from her mind.

Suddenly, the patrol, led by Raven, rushing in through the entrance. Excited barks sounded, causing Moon to jump and the pups as well. The queens looked towards the entrance with bewildered expressions, while Moon, with her pups no longer suckling, stood and walked after the patrol.

They exploded into Rain's den and began all talking at once. Moon pushed through them and reached Rain. She howled a loud, sharp howl to get them to all stop talking. Then, she nodded to Rain. He spoke as a command: "Everyone without the name of Raven leave my den!" the patrol didn't hesitate to follow his orders. Moon felt rather disgusted by how they all were controlled like robots. It made her shiver.

Rain sat down and smoothed his fur while he waited for Raven to gather his thoughts. Moon, however, just sat two fox lengths away from Rain and glared at Raven as he began to speak to his leader. "Rain, we've found the pup." Moon scoffed, but Rain silenced her with a flick of his tail and nodded to Raven. "Continue." He nodded respectfully before continuing.

"The pup was taken by a group of coyotes and they're fostering the pup. We couldn't reach her since the coyotes were very protective of the small pup." Moon just sat there, glaring with all of her hate at the dark gray wolf that stood in front of her.

Rain nodded. "I will announce this to the pack, then we can discuss a plan to get the pup back." He nodded and followed Rain out of the cave. Moon followed the two males but did not come to the meeting. Instead, she returned to her two pups.

While Rain explained to the pack everything she already knew, she thought of any certain strategies to use to retrieve her precious pup. _That is, if he's even telling the truth,_ She thought coldly to herself.

While she was thinking of the strategies, she realized that she needed to know where the coyotes were keeping Onei and how large the area was. As soon as the meeting was over and the queens returned to the nursery, Moon stood up and traveled over to Rain's den.

Raven was already there. She ignored him as she strode past him and sat down next to Rain. Raven blinked at her with an indifferent expression before saying what he was about to say.

"They're in a clearing, about twice the size of the cave." Moon looked at the area of the cave and imagined the size of the clearing. Raven continued. "They keep the pup at the heart of the clearing, which should make it an easier trip. She's in an above-ground den that only allows up to two wolves in it at a time. There are at least two coyotes guarding it daily and nightly. It would be easy to get past them." Moon listened to the information intently, forming an image in her mind.

"The clearing is surrounded by thickets, but it's basically bare ground about 100 fox lengths around it. We should be able to reach it quickly if we follow the river and cross on the tree bridge." Moon blinked. _This is easier than I imagined,_ she thought. Raven continued with the information. "About four coyotes guard the entrance, which is too small for a wolf. We might have to jump the barrier, if it's short enough, or break through it."

Rain nodded. "Is there anything else that might interfere with our strategy?" he asked. When Raven shook his head, Rain nodded. "Right. We need a patrol of about 6 warriors. One will lure the coyotes away from the entrance by running straight in front of them and acting like they're about to attack. Then, the rest of the patrol will split up into two groups, one with three warriors and one with two warriors. The larger group will draw the attention away from Onei, while one warrior will grab Onei and the other will guard the den from any stragglers." Raven nodded in agreement. Moon even agreed this was a reasonable plan.

"Moon, I want you to join the patrol. The queens can share the care of Hunin and Adoette." Moon hesitated before nodding eagerly. "Raven, you will also be on the patrol, along with Tiger, Wind, Star, and Cinder." He nodded and went to retrieve the four warriors.

They arrived in a matter of heartbeats. Rain began to explain the plan to them, then assigned roles to each wolf. "Star will lure the two coyotes away from the entrance. Tiger, Cinder, and Raven will be the group to draw attention from the den, while Cinder will guard the den and Moon grabs the pup." Moon was delighted to hear that she would be the one to see her pup for the first time in at least a day.

Rain seemed satisfied, along with the rest of the patrol. They filed out of the den and gathered by the entrance. Raven was leading the patrol to the clearing where Onei was. Just before they were about to take off, Rain strode up to the patrol and announced, "No wolf nor coyote is to be hurt during this mission." They nodded solemnly then took off after Raven when he bolted from the entrance.

Moon was light on her feet, sprinting next to Cinder as they raced along the bank of the river. The sun was setting and the air was becoming colder, but they raced on with seemingly unending energy.

They slowed to a trot as they reached the tree bridge. Raven signaled for them to wait as he tested the log. He put his two front paws on it, using his weight to make sure it was stable. Then, he lifted himself up and walked across slowly, making sure it was safe. He turned his head towards the impatient patrol and nodded.

When the patrol had gotten across quickly, they took off again. The clearing was almost immediately in sight, although Raven began to slow as they reached the camp.

The patrol huddled closely together in stray bushes, waiting for Raven's signal. With a flick of Raven's tail, Star emerged from the bushes and snarled at the coyotes. They stared at the wolf, then, finding him as a threat, their hackles raised and they stood and bared their teeth at the brown wolf. He snarled and backed into the surrounding layer of bushes, making sure to keep the coyotes occupied.

When the coyotes left, Raven nodded and led the group silently out of the bushes and to the entrance. They split into the groups. Thankfully, the barrier could be jumped without drawing attention. The Lure group jumped first and crept silently towards the opposite side of the camp where the other group waited. They began barking under Raven's signal and snarling at the nearest coyotes. The coyotes immediately became defensive and drew all of their camp towards the trio.

Moon followed Cinder over the barrier and crept along the barrier on the inside of the camp, scanning for the den. Moon spotted it and, making sure Cinder saw where it was too, crept quietly towards it.

The den was, thankfully, unguarded. Moon poked her head in and stared at the little pup that sat in a moss nest.

Onei.


End file.
